Working on those walking skills!
Fort Collins has had some warm weather lately and Sage enjoys the luxury of hanging out in his diaper.
On Thursday May 23rd, Matt's parents and his nephew Cody arrived in town. We were excited for them to visit! It was Sage's second visit with his Grandma Sheryl and Grandpa Gary, and his very first visit with Cousin Cody. They stayed for nearly an entire week. And each day was packed full of good food and fun activities.
Our first big outing was a Saturday trip to the Denver Zoo!
The Denver Zoo allows outside food and drink into the park. We decided to take advantage of this. We packed the cooler with an assortment of drinks and stopped at Subway for sandwiches before beginning the 45 minute drive.
It was hot and sunny when we first arrived. I slathered myself and Sage in a thick layer of sunscreen. But as the day went on, it became a little overcast and breezy. While clouds and I don't usually get along, I welcomed their arrival after nearly 4 hours at the zoo.
I'm not exactly sure how many animals Sage actually saw. It was very crowded at the zoo. So getting right up to the railing was sometimes difficult. (Although towards the end of the day, the crowd has somewhat dispersed.) But in addition, each exhibit is made to imitate the animal's natural habitat. And those creatures are so good a camouflaging themselves! It was tough for me to spot them, let alone a 9 month old. In all honesty, Sage probably got a bigger kick out of all the people watching. But...there were several exhibits where I KNOW he saw the animals. The giraffes, monkeys, elephants, flamingos, and fish all come to mind.
Oh boy.....I can't even believe I'm admitting this.....but I let Sage have his first bite of ice cream!! It was so hot around noon, that I decided to buy myself and Cody each a large ice cream cone. And poor little Sage was sitting there enjoying his warm dry cheerios. In a state of heat-induced confusion, I decided to let Sage enjoy the cold sweet relief of frozen dairy. He took one bite, and immediately demanded more. I want everyone to know that he was given two bites total, and no more. He can look forward to enjoying more frozen dairy on his 1 year birthday.
A ring of ice cream around Sage's lips. He likey!
I assumed we were done with desserts for the day, until Grandpa Gary (aka: Pa) came back to the table with Dip N Dots. Still hallucinating from too much sun exposure, I permitted 3 small bites be given to Sage. Surprise, surprise..he liked that too! At one point, we gave Sage an empty plastic spoon to play with. He took one look at it, then pointed it in the direction of his Pa, as if to say, "Hey idiots, there's something missing here!" But Mama had put her foot down. We were done with sugar for the day.
Sage was really excited to see the geese so close!
It was definitely bath time when we got home. I needed to wash the sunscreen and zoo grime off my baby. Cody helped!
Sage was tuckered out after his zoo adventure! In fact, all of us were. So we decided to have a lazy Sunday. We lounged around in the backyard, enjoying the sunshine.
We decided it was a perfect afternoon to get out the baby pool. I filled it, and let it sit in direct sunlight. Two hours later the darn thing was still frigidly cold! We kept waiting and waiting for the water to warm up. But the temperature never seemed to budge. And after sitting stagnant for hours in the backyard, the water had become populated with pollen and bugs. There has got be a better way! I need easy access to warm water to fill my baby pool. I think big buckets back and forth from kitchen to backyard is my best option right now....
Sage opted to swim in the nude on this fine Sunday.
Grandpa Gary.....reminiscing about Dip N Dots.
That's pretty much all Gary talked about all weekend. He was pretty stinkin' proud of himself. It's very well known how overprotective I am over Sage, especially his diet. I'm the first to admit it! :) So yes, the ice cream and Dip N Dots were both a huge victory for Sage and his Grandpa. And you know what!?!? Sage lived to tell the tale. Maybe I can let my guard down just a little bit.
One of Sage's new favorite toys.
He LOVES playing catch! Cody and him spent hours throwing, catching, and chasing the big red ball around.
Cody took these pictures. What a great photographer! Sage has me pinned to the ground. And Cody rushed in to capture the moment.
On Monday, Matt and his family traveled to Rocky Mountain National Park. Sage and I opted to stay home, as I felt that Sage would have been confined to a carseat for too long. When Matt sent me the following pictures via iphone, I regretted my decision to stay behind.
But then when I saw these photos... I was very happy with my choice. Look at how much snow! I was told it was very windy and cold.
While the rest of the Diemer clan was in Rocky Mountain National Park, Sage and I took an hour long stroll around the neighborhood. It was warm and lightly breezy. Just perfect for walking. And we stumbled across a park - just blocks from our house!
I look forward to many more adventures to the neighborhood park, equipped with picnic tables and restrooms. What luxury!
Sage has been expanding his food horizons. Pictured above is cherries and blueberries. Pictured below is french toast! No syrup was given to Sage, despite the pleas of his grandfather. But, I did give Sage some yogurt to help wash it down. He also tried cantaloupe for the first time this weekend! It was a hit!
Sage now eats the following foods on a regular basis:
Sweet potato, peas, squash, applesauce, avocado, banana, broccoli, cauliflower, blueberries, cherries, cantaloupe, watermelon, yogurt, oatmeal, french toast, and an assortment of crunchy snacks like cheerios.
After such an eventful weekend, we all woke up on Tuesday morning quite exhausted. Sage is so cute first thing in the morning. His eyes haven't quite adjusted to the light, and are only half open. I've said it before, and I'll say it again....I love his "fresh out of bed" look.
